Lithuania establishes specialised drone forces and orders nearly 1,000 armoured vehicles

The Lithuanian Armed Forces have created a dedicated drone unit named ANBO, marking a major shift in military capabilities, while the State Defence Council has approved the purchase of nearly 1,000 Finnish-made Patria armoured vehicles, *LRT* reports.

The new **Autonomous Remote Unmanned Operations (ANBO)** unit consolidates the military’s top drone specialists into a single force with its own command structure. Unlike traditional air defence, ANBO is designed for offensive operations, capable of striking targets deep in enemy territory—up to 200 km away, according to Chief of Defence Gen. Raimundas Vaikšnoras.

*”We’re talking about shifting combat into enemy territory—whether it’s 100 km or more, like the prototypes from ‘Granta Autonomy’ and ‘Rheinmetall’ that reach 200 km,”* Vaikšnoras said. The unit will also test various drone systems and provide guidance to Lithuania’s defence industry.

Personnel details remain classified due to security concerns, with Vaikšnoras noting that drone operators are high-value targets, as seen in Ukraine. *”You won’t see much of them publicly… Their work will be known by its results, not their identities,”* he added.

The move follows Ukraine’s integration of drones as a separate military branch, mirroring Russia’s specialised *”Rubikon”* drone forces, which rapidly deploy innovations in combat.

### Nearly 1,000 Patria armoured vehicles by 2030
The State Defence Council has approved the acquisition of up to 1,000 **Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carriers**, with 300 expected by 2030. Most will be manufactured in Lithuania, replacing the ageing M113 fleet—many of which were donated to Ukraine.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas emphasised that the purchase does not compete with air defence funding. *”We’ve adjusted other procurements, like naval vessels, postponing them past 2030 to free up funds for air defence,”* he said.

Kaunas also confirmed plans to accelerate drone interceptor purchases, with the Defence Resource Agency tasked to procure 3–4 test batches of different systems. Coordination with Lithuanian drone manufacturers is underway to align technical requirements.